The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-27
ARE YOU suPEasr1r1oUsq
Tho Para an Plays in Presidential Contests
"A Startling Fact

The Para ssN" Plays in Presidential Contests
"A Startling Fact.
Ausburn Towner, in Albany journal.
In the presidential canvass of 1880, between
Hancock and Garfield. being engaged upon the
columns of very pronounced Democratic
newspaper, | was reading up pretty thoroughly
in the political history of our country. when l
accidently came upon the relation that seemed
to be established between the letter IN and
the presidential elections. 1t made vivid I'M
preston on my mind. / felt so assured OF the
election of General Hancock. basing my opinion
on the indication had discovered, tnat stakeu
all mad In the world upon his success. 1t was
not that was superstitious. but that the event
seemed TO be indicated as surely as are the
eclipses to come at the time the astronomers
have calculated they will put in an appearance
The result left me poor indeed. but with my
faith in the proposition had formulated shaken
for only a few months.
The general notion briefly set FORTH is that
the presidential candidate who has letter IN"
in his name is sure of an election, opposed to
those whose name is not thus provided. IL
both possesses the letter, the wins whose
initial letter stands nearest in the order of the
alphabet to "N,' and il neither possess it the
same rule applies. Out of the thirty seven per-
sons who have been nominated for the presi-
dency twenty of them had the letter IN" in their
names and out of the eighteen elected twelve
were similarly provided It is not little curious
that out of the millions of persons in the country,
and out of the thousands of names. such as
have described should be selected for candidates,
and in such proportions to seem to indicate
that it all means something? Any directory will
show that names constituted are immeasura-
bly, less in proportion to the whole number OF
names than this and the doctrine of chances"
taking the names all together. will demonstrate
that the probability of drawing name with
letter N" in it is reduced to about one in 80 900.
It is needless to more than name the first one,
Washington. He leads off in this WE'LL he
did in everything else. John Adams, the next,
beat Jefferson, but it was a scratch and
misunderstanding, and when the second trial
came it was all the other way; the third result
ing similarly Madison had for his antagonist
Pinckney, OF South Carolina. but oyerweighted
him, as he did Clinton, of New York, in the sec
ond contest. Monroe beat King, of New York,
the first time. jackson won over Adams when
they first ''locked horns" but lost IN a deal"
scarcely more respectable than the one made
forty-eeht years afterwsrd. On the sec
ond trial. with fair field and no ia
vor, he swept the same opponent clear out of
sight, and in his third canvass did the
same thing with another antagonist, Clay. In
the next contest Martin Van Buren, was too
much for Harrison, but the matter was made
even, as it should have been, by the election of
the latter with the same opponent in 1910. Polk
won over Clay. Taylor over Cass. Pierce over
Scott, Buchanan over Fremont. Lincoln over
Seymour and Greeley. HAYES served in the
place of Tilden, but that only goes to prove the
truth of the proposition, and the less said about
it the better. Garfield President for only
six months. and Cleveland won over Blaine. 1t
has been reported in the newspapers that Mr..
Blaine, in the canvass OF 1884. noticed the M
condolences and impressed by them
that, as the contest progressed, he lost heart
very noticeably